32 Back in the Saddle
by ARtheBard
Summary: Morgan and JJ have just returned from Afghanistan but there is no rest for the weary as life in the BAU marches on. JJ knows if she can just get back to work things will be okay. But when an old nemesis resurfaces PTSD may be the least of her worries.
1. Chapter 1

JJ feels the feather light touch along her cheek. She moans and shifts into the touch. The same hand strokes gently down her neck, across her collarbone, and then down to her breast. When that hand is replaced by a mouth she moans and arches into the touch. As she comes more awake she suddenly panics as she sees dark hair.

"NO!"

She pushes "Mack" away from her. Emily grabs her hand and stares into her eyes, understanding.

"It's me, Jen. You're home, baby," she says gently.

JJ takes a couple of deep breaths to calm herself. When she starts to apologize, Emily just kisses her, her hand returning to the breast she had been lavishing with attention. JJ eventually forgets her fear and responds to the kiss, her tongue dancing with Emily's. Emily breaks the kiss and stares into blue eyes she had always just wanted to get lost in.

"I love you, Jennifer Prentiss."

Her mouth immediately moves back to JJ's breast, her hand stroking lower, massaging strong abdominal muscles, sliding over a firm thigh, then gliding over neatly trimmed curls.

JJ's wraps the fingers of one hand in Emily's hair. The other clenches and unclenches the sheets as her hips thrust up, begging for the hand petting her curls to make the final dive into her. As they do, she stifles a scream of ecstasy.

Emily's thrusts two fingers deep into her wife, her palm pressing the hard, throbbing clit. She quickly adds three fingers as she feels JJ already nearing climax. She lifts her head and looks down at her wife.

"Look at me, Jennifer."

JJ forces her eyes open, blue eyes locking onto brown eyes full of love and desire.

"I love you, Jennifer."

Emily kisses her wife as JJ's orgasm washes over her. Emily continues to thrust, her tongue keeping time with her fingers. JJ writhes beneath her as she is driven up and over once more. Slowly Emily removes her fingers, feeling JJ jump once more. She eases back and stares down at the glistening blonde.

"I could do this all day," Emily admits.

JJ smiles. "Me, too. But there is something else I have to do first."

"What's that?" Emily asks.

JJ rolls, forcing Emily to her back. "I have to taste you."

Emily moans as JJ plants herself between her legs. The brunette arches up as a tongue slowly draws up her wet folds.

"Oh, Jen…oh, baby…"

JJ's tongue dances in and out of Emily. Emily's hips pump up to meet every move.

"More…Jen, please…more…"

JJ brings a hand up and drives two fingers into her wife as her mouth moves to the hard pearl at Emily's center. Emily bucks up once….twice…and finally explodes like a firework. JJ laps up the essence of her wife then crawls up beside her. She stares down at her wife.

"I love you so much, Emily. I have missed this with you. Texts, emails, Skype's sustained me but making love with you is what keeps me alive."

She leans down and gives Emily a deep kiss. She can tell her wife already needs more. Her hand steals to the dark curls below. Emily moans at first contact. JJ smiles, loving the way her wife feels and responds. She pulls out of the kiss as her fingers once more enter the heat of her wife. Emily's eyes are nearly black with passion.

"You are so beautiful, Emily. So fucking beautiful."

Emily is speechless. She can only moan as her hips lift to meet each push of her wife's hand. JJ lowers her mouth to one of Emily's hard nipples. The women move as one until Emily is finally rocked by a second orgasm. As Emily's body slowly comes down from the high, JJ gently caresses and rubs her legs, arms, body. JJ smiles at her.

"After last night I thought it would be days before I could go again."

Emily smiles. "Me, too. I don't think we've had a three hour love making session since we were newlyweds."

JJ chuckles. "Mmmm….yeah, the hammock at the island."

Emily nods. "Yeah and the bed afterwards. I'm sorry I woke you."

JJ grins. "I'm not."

"I just need you so much, Jen. I keep thinking this is a dream." She strokes JJ's cheek. "Do you know how many times I dreamt I was about to kiss you or make love to you only to wake up and…and you weren't here?"

JJ nods. "Probably as many times as I dreamt about you." JJ stares at her a moment. "About Mack…that time…"

Emily shakes her head. "Don't, Jen. I told you I understand. I meant it. But if you need me to say it again I will: I forgive you. Even if it only gave you a moment of comfort in that hell you were in I am actually thankful for that." She grins. "But don't tell Mack I said that."

JJ chuckles. "I won't. I swear." She glances over at the clock. "It's almost 8. Think Henry is up yet?"

Emily smiles. "Probably. How about we shower and then go check on him and our families."

JJ nods. "Best idea I've heard all morning."

Emily raises an eyebrow. "Really? The best one?"

"Well, technically I didn't hear the other idea. Just felt it and responded in kind," she says with a wink.

Emily laughs as JJ stands and offers her hand to her wife. As Emily stands, JJ runs her hand over Rocky once more.

"She's so big."

Emily nods. "Yep. And one hell of a soccer player. Or possibly an NFL kicker."

"Either way," JJ throws her hands in the air in her victory stance, "SCORE!"

Emily laughs and drags her wife with her into the bathroom for a long, sensual shower.


	2. Chapter 2

When the two women get almost to the bottom of the steps they hear a very unhappy Henry.

"MOOOOMMMMMYYYYY!" he wails.

JJ gets choked up. "Oh, my sweet boy." She jumps down the last three steps, startling the adults in the kitchen. "Hey, Little Man."

His wails turn to a happy holler. "MOMMY!"

JJ walks over and, ignoring his banana covered hands and face, lifts him out of his highchair. "Hey, Henry, did you have a good breakfast?"

He kisses her cheek, smearing banana across it. "Love Mommy."

She just holds him close, drinking him in. "I love you, too, Henry. I love you oh so much."

Elizabeth puts a hand on JJ's shoulder. "If you keep him corralled a moment, I'll get the banana off his hands and face."

JJ eases him back a bit so her mother-in-law can get to him. "No problem. Was that a good banana, Henry?"

"Mmmm!" he answers happily.

She smiles. "Are you sure? Looks like you're wearing more than you ate."

He just cackles. Finally Elizabeth has him cleaned up. As JJ sits down at the table, Henry in her lap, her father puts a cup of coffee in front of her.

"Thanks, Dad."

"No problem, Sports Star. Did you sleep well?"

JJ nods. "Yeah, I did. Felt so good to be in my own bed."

Mark grins. "Not to mention cuddled up to your wife, right?"

JJ blushes and looks to Emily. "Yeah, that definitely helped, too."

Emily lifts her cup of decaf in toast to her wife. Gerald walks over and leans on the counter beside his daughter as JJ starts to answer questions from her family about her time overseas.

"So, is she really okay?" Gerald asks compassionately.

"She will be. I know she and Morgan both want to make appointments with Dr. Westfallen. And I will pay whatever it takes to make them both feel better about what they did and saw over there. Her physical injuries aren't too bad." Emily turns and stares into her father's eyes. "Had she not had that chest plate on, she'd have been killed, Dad. Thank you for finding the best stuff not yet on the market. Anything less and…"

Emily's voice just fades out. She still can't even contemplate how close she had come to losing the love of her life. Gerald wraps an arm around her.

"I know, sweetheart. I know. I am so glad it worked. I can't imagine a world without Jennifer Prentiss in it. It would suddenly be a very dull place."

Emily smiles and nods. "You sure have that right."

* * *

At 4 that afternoon the Jareau's all finally start towards home. JJ promises to come up in a couple weekends, work permitting, just so they can see how she's doing. Elizabeth and Gerald leave soon after for their condo in D.C., promising to be there in no time if the ladies need them for anything.

JJ goes with Henry into the backyard to play with Alaska as Emily starts dinner. They would be joined by Declan and Tom. Knowing Tom still has to be careful about germs, they had decided on him waiting to see JJ until after everyone left. Hotch had offered to pick up Declan but the boy wanted to wait for his father.

With dinner in the oven, Emily gets out a strong disinfectant spray and cleans the table and countertops carefully to make as sure as possible the house was clean for Tom. As she goes to clean the downstairs bathroom, JJ sees her.

"What are you doing?"

"Cleaning everything before Tom gets here. He has to be careful about germs still."

JJ takes the cleaning supplies. "Young lady, I don't know if you're aware of this or not but you're pregnant."

Emily feigns surprise and looks at her stomach. "You mean…this isn't from eating a chocolate cake everyday?"

JJ laughs. "Well, some of it might be. Let me do this. You really need to avoid breathing in these chemicals. You _did_let the cleaning service do this while I was gone, right?"

"Yes, I did. This is just a touch up in deference to Tom."

"Then you play with Henry. I'll get this done."

Emily gives her a kiss. "Thank you, baby."

"My pleasure, honey."

Emily heads into the playroom and sees Henry is building some grand creation with his blocks.

"Can I play, Champ?"

He smiles up at her. "Mama play."

"Thanks." She eases herself down and helps him stack and unstack all the blocks. When she finishes the bathroom, JJ makes her way back to the playroom. Her heart swells with love as she watches the two most important people in her life play together. She wipes the tears that slip down her cheeks. She loves them so much. For 9 weeks she had felt empty inside. Now she overflows with emotion.

"I love you both so much," she says.

Emily and Henry turn, seeing her for the first time. Henry stands and walks over to her.

"Boo, Mommy?"

JJ kneels down. "Yeah, Henry. I have a boo on my heart. But a Henry Hug will make it all better."

He throws himself into her arms. Emily just smiles as she sees her wife soaking in the love from their son.

* * *

"…and then we went to this memorial for everyone who had tried to cross the Berlin Wall. It was really sad but really cool, too. I'm going to have some neat stuff for my world history class next year," Declan finishes.

JJ nods. "That's great, Dec. I'm glad you were able to get out and see some sites."

The boy shrugs and glances at his dad. "Well…some days Dad was just too tired to put up with me beating him at Scrabble and Rockband."

Tom chuckles and punches his son's shoulder lightly. "Get real! I just pretended to be tired so I didn't damage your psyche by beating you so many times."

JJ and Emily laugh at the Colter's picking on each other. JJ looks back at Declan.

"How was lacrosse camp?"

"It was fun. I learned a couple of cool moves so if that jerk comes at me next year he'll be on the ground legally wondering what hit him."

"Uh…good, I guess?" JJ says uncertainly.

Declan nods. "Really good. No way am I going to risk that guy making me miss any games with his cheap shots."

"Okay. Just make sure you don't attack him first," she cautions.

"I won't. Promise."

JJ nods. "Good." She looks back at Tom. "Hope you don't mind me feeding his sports addiction."

Tom shakes his head. "Not at all. Like Emily I was more of a cheerleader. I'm glad he has someone that understands some of the things he's been telling me." He ruffles his son's hair.

Declan laughs. "It was actually really good when I hurt my knee to have Jennifer around. She didn't mind me waiting for the end of the game before taking me to the hospital."

Tom rolls his eyes. "Heaven forbid your health come first."

Emily laughs. "Jen, should I tell Tom some of the sports injury stories your parents have told me? You know, just to prepare him?"

JJ rolls her eyes. "Watch it, Prentiss. No need to make our friend scared of his kid."

Tom and Declan laugh. Emily winks at Tom. "I'll tell you later," she stage whispers to him.

He nods and winks. JJ just pokes Emily playfully. The Colter's stay until just after 8.

* * *

Later, as JJ stands staring into her closet, Emily walks up behind her.

"You okay?"

"I have to figure out what to wear for the first time in 9 weeks. Seems…strange."

Emily nods. "I bet. Want some help?"

JJ shakes her head. "I don't think so." She sighs and steps in, pulling down a navy suit and red blouse she often wears for budget meetings. It's her feel good suit. Emily smiles, recognizing it. "This will work. It will help me get back in the saddle again, so to speak."

"You'll do fine, JJ. You and Morgan will both have a period of readjustment. Will probably last about 2 weeks. Maybe less for you two since you have a strong support structure around you. Things will seem almost foreign at first but suddenly it will start to click for you and you will be okay."

JJ slowly turns and stares into Emily's eyes. "Doyle?"

Emily nods. "It took me longer because I didn't go back to a team and I was…someone else for so long." She pulls JJ close. "You will be fine in no time because even if no one else helps, Garcia will make sure you are fine."

JJ giggles. "Yeah, that's true. And, hey, most likely no one will be trying to kill me tomorrow so that should be a plus immediately."

Emily nods as if contemplating the thought. "Yeah, that should make things a bit better."

JJ laughs and strokes her wife's cheek. "Thank you, Emily. For everything."

"No thanks needed, Jennifer. I'm just glad you're home and I am here for you anytime the bad memories surface. Okay?"

JJ nods. "Yeah. Okay." She sighs. "It's going to haunt me a bit, isn't it?"

"I don't know, Jen. I wish I could say yes or no but I only know what you told me. And something tells me you hid a lot from me to protect me. It depends on how bad the things you didn't tell me are and how honest you are when you see Dr. Westfallen."

"Yeah, I know. I promise, Em, I will be honest with her." She runs her hand over Rocky. "I want to be whole when our daughter is born. I want to be whole for our son. And I especially want to be whole for you."

Emily kisses her wife. "Then I know you'll be fine in no time at all. Come on, let's get you to bed. You have to go to the office tomorrow."

JJ smiles. "Will be weird without you there."

Emily grins. "Will be weird to see you on the webinar. But, hey, we'll get over it."

"Yes we will. We are Prentiss' after all."

"Ah, Mother's favorite statement quoted by her favorite fellow pod person."

JJ laughs and rolls her eyes. "We're not pod people…as far as you know."

She winks and goes to get ready to bed, Emily's laughter music to her ears. When she gets back into the room, she looks at Emily.

"There's one more thing I have to do before bed."

Emily, already in bed, looks up from what she is reading. "What's that?"

JJ walks over and looks down at her wife. "I want to see the charts, Emily."

Emily sighs and sets her book aside. "To what end, Jennifer? There is nothing you can do to change the past. And I was okay most of the time."

"_Most_ of the time. Em, I told you I want to see what this did to you. We already know what it did to me. I have a right to know what it did to my wife."

Emily stares into resolute blue eyes. She is not going to win this argument. Emily reaches into her nightstand and pulls out the ledger she had been using to chart her blood pressure. She stares at it a moment, then hands it to JJ.

JJ moves to the recliner and starts to read through it. She can see it had always been in the yellow bordering on red. There are several days where there are bad spikes. She knows what happened those days. The case in Denver. Injuries to her or Morgan. Ambushes. Leaving for Kandahar a couple times. She doesn't even know she's crying until Emily hands her a tissue. JJ takes it as Emily kneels down beside her.

"None of that was your fault or Morgan's. It's just the job, Jen. And I am so proud of you for doing what you did. You are the bravest, most dynamic woman I have ever known. You are beautiful inside and out. And I am honored to be your wife."

"But I-"

"No 'buts', Jennifer." Emily taps the ledger. "Don't blame Afghanistan for all of those spikes. To be honest, some of the spikes due to things here may have coincided with things over there. Again, it was all just the job."

"I should have been here, Emily."

"You were where you were supposed to be. I'm okay. Rocky is okay." She leans over and gives her a gentle kiss. "We're all going to be just fine."

"It's going to take me a few days to believe that," JJ warns.

Emily smiles and strokes her wife's cheek. "I'll be here to reinforce it anytime the doubts creep in." She stands and extends her hand. "Let's go to bed, Jennifer. I want to hold you tonight."

JJ takes her hand and stands up. She sets the ledger on the table beside the recliner. "I want that, too."

The walk to the bed, switching sides so that Emily can lie on her left side, spooned around her wife as much as Rocky will allow. JJ manages a smile.

"Think she'll kick me for crowding her?"

Emily smiles and kisses JJ's neck. "No way. She missed her Mommy.

JJ squeezes Emily's hand. "I missed her, too. I love you, Emily."

"Love you, too, Jen."


	3. Chapter 3

JJ stares at her desk. She had purposely gotten in early to have a few moments alone. She slowly reaches out and turns on the electronic photo frame, smiling slightly as it starts to scroll through pictures of Emily, Henry and their family. She sits down in her chair. The cushions that never seemed soft enough are suddenly clouds after having wooden chairs to work in for 9 weeks.

"Comfy, isn't it?"

JJ jumps and turns to find Morgan smiling at her. She grins.

"Yeah. I had hated this chair. Now it's like heaven."

He grins and hitches a hip onto the edge of her desk. "I know what you mean. Before we left I had thought about buying a new mattress set. Saturday night I wept that old mattress was so damn comfortable."

JJ laughs. "Amazing the perspective we have now, eh?"

"Definitely." He takes a sip of his coffee. "Uh…did you have…dreams? Nightmares?" he asks quietly.

JJ slowly shakes her head. "Not yet. I figure I will but just being beside Emily has…has centered me." She looks at him sympathetically. "I'm sorry you don't have that with someone."

Morgan nods. "Yeah, me, too. Never realized how much it could mean to just…just have that person that holds the monsters at bay."

JJ smiles. "Me neither. I mean, I always knew she could just…just calm me when things were too much. But I never knew how much I needed her to find that place in me where the crazy gets sane again. I love her so much, Morgan. I know I can't live without her."

He grins and squeezes her shoulder. "I know, Jayje. I hope I find that person someday."

She pats his hand. "You will. I know you will."

He nods and stands. "Ready to meet with Jordan at 9?"

JJ shrugs. "I guess so. Think she and Andrade will like your idea about us teaching the next agents?"

Morgan shrugs. "Jordan will like it because it means better agents for her reports." JJ chuckles. "Andrade should since it helps his team. If they can sell it all the way up to Rickets I think it will be a major boost to the unit. We got blindsided by some things. I'd feel better if the next agents had the benefit of what we learned."

JJ nods. "I agree. And with all our free time it shouldn't be a problem to work in a few classes, right?" she jokes.

He chuckles. "Of course not. Might miss a few rounds of solitaire but it will be worth it."

JJ laughs. "Right."

"Well, let me go sort through my inbox and emails. Hopefully nothing important got stuck on my desk for 9 weeks."

JJ watches as Morgan makes his way to his office she turns on her computer and goes to get her first cup of coffee of the morning. While she had been in Afghanistan Gerald had sent her his special grounds. JJ sneers. The FBI's coffee is not quite as good.

"Well, chalk up one thing that was better over there," she mumbles as she walks back to her desk.

She has just finished clearing her inbox when she hears her name called. She turns and smiles at Chief Straus.

"Good morning, Chief."

The chief smiles at her. "Welcome home, Agent Jareau. We've missed you. And I am very proud of the work you and Agent Morgan did overseas. I hope you realize that you exemplary record will probably lead to more promotion opportunities. Most likely the Pentagon will start courting you again."

JJ rolls her eyes. "Thank you for the praise…and the warning. Chief, I am right where I want to be and where I am meant to be."

Straus smiles and pats JJ's shoulder. "Then when you tell them to stick it, if they pressure you some more send them my way. You don't need to deal with those headaches."

JJ is surprised. "Uh, thank you, ma'am. I will."

* * *

Jordan looks over the proposal Morgan and JJ had worked on while on their 30+ hour flight back to the US. She smiles.

"It's a good idea, guys."

"I know there is still some refining to do, but we would be hitting on all the things that caught us by surprise. Agents know the job, it's the intangibles that we could cover," Morgan point out.

Jordan nods. "I get it, I do. But I will warn you, Andrade has it in his head that surprise keeps agents on their toes and teaches them better."

JJ leans forward, anger in her eyes. "Surprise nearly got Mack and I killed. The scar on my face is proof that surprise can kill us. And if it helps, I'll show him the impact bruise over my heart that proves also helps prove that."

Jordan laughs. "And what would it do to Emily's blood pressure if she hears you flashed my boss."

JJ can't help but smile. "It wouldn't be good. Trust me." She sits back in her chair. "Jordan, the reports, the files, they are good for some background. But real experience would have been a hell of a lot more helpful while we prepped to go."

Jordan looks from JJ to Morgan and back again. "I'll fight for this to happen then. You have my word." They all stand, the meeting over. "Andrade may have more questions for you about your reports and about this proposal. But if all goes well, you'll be able to officially put your time in Afghanistan behind you by the end of the week."

Morgan sighs. "Good. And if he asks if we'd be interested in going back, tell him—"

"FUCK NO!" Morgan and JJ say emphatically together.

Jordan laughs. "I'll pass that on…though I may couch it in kinder terms."

* * *

It is a little after 10 when they get back down to the BAU. The rest of the team was already in the round table room for their Monday meeting. Morgan and JJ hurry in.

"Sorry. Ran over with Jordan," Morgan explains.

"Hey, who're the new kids?" Emily asks from the computer screen.

"College interns," Rossi jokes. "They think they have what it takes to make it in the BAU."

Reid chuckles. "We'll eat 'em alive."

Morgan and JJ roll their eyes. "Okay, okay, you've had your fun," Morgan drawls. "Now, how about we talk cases so JJ and I can get this place back on track."

Hotch raises an eyebrow. "Garcia…how long would it take to do a thing and get him sent to, say, Fargo?"

Garcia chuckles. "Faster than a bumble bee sipping whiskey!"

The team laughs, all wondering where the heck she comes up with these things. Hotch slowly looks at each member of his team.

"Good to see you all here," he says sincerely. "Our strength has always been the way we work with each other. I can honestly say we have missed the insights and support from Morgan and JJ. It will be good to be back up to 100% again."

"Well, more like 95% since I'm only there by video," Emily points out.

He grins. "I stand corrected. So," he hands folders to JJ and Morgan, "let's take a look at what we have on tap right now."

And just like that, the team is back to work…together.


	4. Chapter 4

Garcia uses the remote to bring the pictures up on the big screen.

"Welcome to Wicked Wednesday. JJ, my dear, I apologize now for this one but it really needs our help," the analyst states.

"Uh, okay," JJ says nervously.

"Detroit, Michigan has had five deaths in the last 6 weeks committed by an unsub using, uh, dogs." She hands out the case files

"Oh, fuck," JJ mutters. She doesn't even open hers and refuses to look towards the screen.

"Based on bite patterns and canine DNA it's the same dogs."

"Could this be a gang thing?" Morgan asks.

"Sort of. All the dead are gangbangers, and before you ask the follow up, they are from different gangs so it's not a turf war."

"So it could be an avenging angel, cleaning up the streets," Emily offers from the speaker phone.

"That's what they thought. The victims had not been seen for up to 12 hours before their bodies were found. It is believed that at some point they were taken outside the city and secured in some way to make them easy prey for the dogs."

JJ is pinching the bridge of her nose. Of course their first case back would have to involve killer dogs. Couldn't be just a standard run of the mill psychopath it had to be one that would make her possibly have to face dogs willing to rip humans apart. If only she'd known before her appointment with Dr. Westfallen that morning. Things had been looking better before she got to work. Now things are-

"JJ!"

JJ jumps and realizes everyone is looking at her. Hotch stares at her with concern.

"You didn't hear me, did you?"

JJ blushes. "Um…no. Sort of…lost in my own thoughts. Sorry."

Hotch looks around the table. "Wheels up in 30. JJ, wait a moment. Emily, see if you can help Garcia weed through the connections where the victims may have crossed. As gang members it could be a large list of places."

"Yes, sir." Emily disconnects.

JJ stares at the table. "I'm sorry, Hotch. I'll be okay."

"JJ, we all remember what happened to you in Hankel's barn. Compound that with the PTSD you are working through after Afghanistan and no one would think less of you for sitting this one out."

JJ stares at him, hating that she is actually considering his offer. Finally she shakes her head. "No. Maybe I can't…can't go on the final take down but I can at least be there to help back at the office." She forces a smile to her face. "It hasn't been that long since I was a media liaison. I could always help that way."

Hotch stares at her and nods. "Okay. But if you need to step back at any time or call…the doctor you don't really see…do it. No questions asked."

JJ nods. "Thanks, Hotch."

They leave the conference room to get their things together for the trip to Detroit. As she gets to her desk, Reid walks up to JJ.

"No splitting up this time, right?" he says with an uneasy grin.

She manages a smile. "Right. Or I shoot you myself."

Reid chuckles and nods. "Understood."

JJ had felt her phone vibrate after Emily had signed off. She pulls up the text she had expected.

_"Anytime, day or night, just call, Jen. I love you."_

JJ sighs. The team needed her. She could do this. She types back. _"Was a shock but I will be okay. But if I need you I promise to call. I love you."_

* * *

On the plane, JJ finally opens the case files and starts by reading the police and coroner reports. Two distinct DNA strands had been found for the dogs. Though the breed was undetermined once they find the dogs a definitive match could be made. But the question still remains: why?

JJ looks up at Reid. "Why dogs?"

Reid stares at her. "Well, in ancient Rome people cheered as Christians were torn apart by lions, tigers, bears, and dogs. Throughout history dogs have been used to exact punishment, revenge, and torture."

"Yeah, I know all that. But why is _this_unsub doing it? Is he avenging dogs, getting revenge for the death of his own dog or what?"

Rossi had been listening and tosses out a theory. "Gangs have been known to train dogs for fighting and for protection. Maybe this guy is a dog lover with a twisted sense of an eye for an eye. They get dogs killed so he lets dogs kill them."

JJ shrugs a shoulder. "That's as good a theory as any I can come up with."

"What are you thinking?"

JJ stands. "That there are too many sick fucks in the world with access to dogs."

She moves to the galley to make a cup of coffee. Reid looks at Rossi and nods.

"I actually concur with that theory."

Rossi grins. "Me, too, kid. Me, too."

As JJ stirs her coffee the thinks about Alaska. Even as a child she hadn't liked big dogs. She couldn't remember any bad incident with one but she was always terrified of their size and their teeth. After Hankel's barn she had sworn to herself she would never have a dog larger than a teacup poodle.

But then Emily had bought Alaska. And slowly but surely that dog had stolen her heart. She had been amazed at how much he had grown in 9 weeks. She was even more amazed that his size didn't bother her. Even over "there" (as she thinks of it) the working dogs hadn't bothered her. She knows her relationship with Alaska had fostered her ability to be around large dogs without being paralyzed by fear.

Now, in her first case back, she's going to be looking for someone using dogs as a weapon just like Hankel had. What were the fucking odds?

"If an author was writing this no one would believe the coincidence," she mutters.

"Going to share the coffee or drink it all yourself, Jareau?" Morgan teases.

JJ forces a smile and turns. "I'll share. For now. But if it runs low it's all mine."

He chuckles. "I remember the rules. I swear." He studies her a moment. "You going to be okay?"

JJ nods. "Yeah, I will. Hell, if I can handle people blowing themselves up I can handle dogs, right?"

Morgan nods. "I'd always bet on you."

She pats his arm as she walks back to her seat. "Thanks, Morgan."

* * *

Emily is charting the various hang outs, street corners, schools, and even times in juvenile or adult detention facilities. As she stares at the map she sees a lot of crossover. Too much crossover.

"They could have met the unsub in multiple places at multiple times. Not good. Okay, Prentiss, how about where they were dumped and where they were last scene." She hits a button to clear the computerized map and inputs the points she is considering now. She squints as she notices something interesting. She checks a couple faxes she had gotten. She enlarges one portion of the map and nods. "That's it."

She grabs her phone and calls Hotch. "I think I have something, Hotch."

"What is it?"

"There's a community park near the dump sites. At one point all of our victims had been arrested in that park. Three for vandalism and two for drunk in public."

"So the park is the key?"

Emily shrugs. "Maybe. I mean let's consider the fact that based on what I'm seeing the bodies could have been dumped inside there at less risk of the unsub being discovered. It may be thin but at least it's one angle to look at."

Hotch nods. "Good work. Keep working the geographic profile. Maybe something else will jump out at you."

"Will do. And, uh, Hotch…is Jen okay?"

Hotch smiles. "She will be. She's a Prentiss after all."

Emily chuckles. "You've been around my mother too long. You're turning into a pod person."

Hotch chuckles. "Call when you need us."

"Same to you, Hotch."

* * *

Hotch disconnects and considers the angle Emily had suggested. He calls Garcia.

"Garcia, do a run on the community park near the dump zones. Find out if there are any threats to it that could make an activist want to protect it at any cost."

"Okay. Shouldn't take long to-oh, freaky. Either you and Emily talked or you're all Vulcan mind-melded. She just emailed me to run the same search."

Hotch chuckles. "We talked."

"Ah, I see. Okay, well I'll get on that search."

"Thanks, Garcia." He pauses. "Live long and prosper."

Garcia giggles. "A closet Trekkie! Aaron Hotchner you're full of surprises. Garcia out!"

Hotch just laughs as he hangs up. He liked to throw her a bone every once in a while.


	5. Chapter 5

JJ and Reid make their way to the station with Hotch as Rossi and Morgan go on a tour of the dump sites. As they drive, JJ looks at Hotch from the backseat.

"Hotch…are you splitting Morgan and I up on purpose?" she asks.

Hotch frowns. "No. You said you wouldn't mind handling the media on this. Trust me…there's plenty of media to be handled on this." He catches her eyes briefly. "Why the hell would I split you two up?"

JJ shrugs and looks away. "No…no reason."

Hotch sighs. "JJ…yes, you all just got back from Hell. No, you haven't been on a BAU case in over 9 weeks. But I have no doubt that the two of you know the job. And if I see fit to put you out in the field with him or feel the need to pull Morgan into the precinct with you it's about the case and only the case."

JJ blushes, ashamed at her doubts. "Right. Sorry, Hotch. That was uncalled for."

Hotch nods. "No problem. Uncalled for but somewhat understandable. I swear to you, JJ, if I doubted either of you then you would be working this case from Quantico."

JJ gives him a small smile. "Thanks. I think I needed to hear that."

Hotch just nods again and continues to drive. Reid turns enough to look at JJ. "Glad you asked, Jayje. I thought it was because he wanted you around to protect me. I was a little hurt."

JJ and Hotch both laugh. JJ winks at him. "Rats, Hotch, he saw through our ruse."

"Ah, well…we tried," Hotch says in mock resignation.

Just as they pull into the parking lot, Garcia calls Hotch. "Sir, we have body number 6."

"Shit."

"Get's worse," she states. "This guy isn't a gangbanger. In fact he appears to be a model citizen."

"Damn it. Emily working his background already?"

"Yes, sir. And police are still on scene at his house and where he was found. His family is being notified as we speak."

"Wife and kids?"

"Life partner and kids."

Hotch nods. "Okay. Reid will be here at the station checking tips. JJ and I will go see his family."

"I figured as much. I already told Detective Sloan you would be on your way."

"Thanks, Garcia." He hangs up.

"Another body," Reid states.

"Yes. JJ, you and I will go see his life partner and kids. Detective Sloan is with them now. This guy isn't a gangbanger. He doesn't fit with the others."

"Could be a copy cat," Reid points out.

"Doubtful. What are the odds of two killers using dogs to—Reid, don't even calculate it," JJ warns as she sees him winding up to answer. "It was a rhetorical question. This could lend credence to an avenging angel aspect."

"How so?" Hotch asks.

"Haven't you heard, Hotch? All us gays, lesbians and bisexuals are deviants slowly destroying society," she says bitterly.

Hotch nods. "Sadly there are those that believe that. It's definitely an angle to consider unfortunately."

Reid gets out and heads inside to start preparing their murder boards and to thumb through leads. JJ moves to the front seat. As Hotch drives he can feel the anger emanating off of her.

"JJ, it's a theory. Don't let it cloud your thinking."

JJ takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "Right. Sorry. Just…I just spent 9 weeks being called all sorts of horrible things by people that hate me just because I am a woman and an American. Guess that theory hit an open wound."

"Understandable. Borrow one of your wife's compartments for a little while. Shove the theory in there for now then take it out tonight and beat it into submission."

JJ laughs. "Uh, okay." She reaches over and pats his arm. "Thanks again."

He nods. "Anytime."

* * *

Garcia finishes running a deep background on the latest victim. She calls Emily first.

"Things just got a little weird, Emster."

"Garcia, we're dealing with an unsub using dogs to kill and you think it's just _starting_to get weird?" Emily confirms incredulously.

"Just listen: okay, victim number 6 is Allen Keenan, CPA, father of 2, life partner of 17 years, devoted family man, and the only negative blip I can find is that he got a ticket for not cleaning up his dog's poop in Clark Park."

Emily stiffens. "Did you say Clark Park?"

Garcia nods. "Yep, the same Clark Park you and Hotch have me running a check on."

Emily looks at the map on her computer screen. "The bodies were all dumped around that park. The other 5 victims were arrested in that park at some point."

"So is this unsub a disgruntled park employee or what?" Garcia asks.

Emily just slowly shakes her head. "Your guess is as good as mine right now. How's the search on any activists for that park coming?"

"It's still running. I wanted to give you the rundown on this victim first. As soon as I know more I'll call you back. You want to let Hotch know about the vic or want me to call?"

"I'll call. You keep playing with your searches. Somehow this unsub is targeting people that were somehow hurting that park. We need to know more about that park and the area around it."

"Gotcha. Talk to you soon!"

Emily disconnects then immediately calls Hotch. She tells him what Garcia had found out about the latest victim. Hotch just shakes his head.

"It's got to be an activist. Any word on Garcia's search on activists?"

"Not yet. She had to just let that run while she ran Keenan's background. Maybe the detective you're working with can get recent arrests and tickets pulled. We could maybe get ahead of the unsu-unnnngh…"

Hotch frowns and stiffens. "Emily? What's wrong?" JJ turns her head sharply at the tone of Hotch's voice, not to mention the question.

"Br—Braxton…Hicks…" Emily forces out. She stands and stretches, moving around until the pain eases. "I'm…fine. Just…getting closer, you know?"

Hotch breathes a sigh of relief. "Right. Prentiss, you scare me like that again and you're fired."

Emily laughs. "Understood, sir."

JJ pokes Hotch impatiently. "What the hell, Hotch?"

Hotch smiles at her. "Braxton Hicks."

JJ rolls her eyes in relief. "Oh, thank God. I don't think I can handle any added stress right now." She reaches over and takes Hotch's phone. "Honey, you okay?"

"Fine, Jen. I remember these from your last few weeks."

JJ chuckles. "Yes, but then my Braxton Hicks turned into real labor. Don't assume you have 3 and a half weeks, baby."

Emily smiles. "I won't. I promise. If they become rhythmic, painful or happen more than 4 times in an hour I will be on the phone with the doctor's office. Promise."

"Good girl. Tell Rocky I'm out of town and she better not try to appear before I get back, okay?"

Emily chuckles. "I'll tell her. Hopefully she's not as headstrong as me and won't demand to be born just to spite you."

JJ giggles…and it is delightful for Emily to hear it. "I keep forgetting she's half Prentiss. Heaven help me." She sighs as Hotch pulls up in front of a quaint house. "Well, we're at Keenan's place. I'll talk to you later, baby. I love you."

"Love you, too, Jen."

JJ disconnects and hands Hotch his phone. "Thanks."

"Like I had a choice," he mutters good-naturedly as they get out and head up to talk to a man about the love of his life.

* * *

Robert Dean Keenan stares at his hands. They are shaking slightly as the FBI agents sit down in front of him. Hotch nods to JJ, offering her the chance to take the lead. She leans towards the devastated man compassionately.

"We are so sorry for your loss, Mr. Keenan. I can't even begin to imagine what you are going through. I promise you we will do everything we can to bring the person or persons that did this to justice."

He slowly raises his eyes to meet her. His green eyes glow with unshed tears. "Was…was it a hate crime?"

JJ shrugs. "It's too soon to tell yet but it will be one avenue investigated. Tell me, had you two been having trouble with anyone lately regarding your relationship?"

Robert shakes his head. "Not really. I mean, every once in a while you run into a bigot but no one has been harassing us or anything. We're lucky to have a lot of gay and lesbian families in this neighborhood as well as supportive straight families."

"What about at work? Was Allen having any issues there?"

"No. None. They even offer partner benefits. It's a very open and supportive place in that aspect. His only issues at work were typical work issues: too much work, not enough budget, annoying co-workers, things like that."

JJ nods. "That's good. Out of curiosity, why was he walking your dog in Clark Park 3 weeks ago?"

Robert smiles at the memory. "His office allows pets on Fridays. He works near there so he took Sox for a walk during his lunch hour." He grins. "I picked on him mercilessly for forgetting the poop baggies. He was always so anal about it I laughed that he was the one who got the ticket since I was the one that usually forgot when we were out."

JJ chuckles. "I can see my wife being the one to get caught, too."

He slowly refocuses on JJ. For the first time she sees hope in his eyes. "You won't forget him, will you?" he confirms.

JJ shakes her head, meeting his eyes. "No. And even if I wasn't gay I wouldn't forget him. My team won't forget him, Mr. Keenan."

He nods. "Thank you, Agent Jareau."

She hands him her card. "If you think of anything that could help us, even something that seems small, call me." As he takes the card, she tilts her head to the side. "How are your children doing?"

He shrugs. "Struggling. They're with my parents right now. Mindy understands Daddy is dead but Jeff doesn't quite get it. He just keeps asking when Daddy is coming home. How do I get them past this?"

Hotch leans forward to answer this. "Just be there for them, help them remember Allen, don't stop talking about him."

Robert stares into Hotch's eyes, seeing the pain and regret. "I'm sorry for your loss, Agent Hotchner."

Hotch nods. "Thank you." He hands him his own card. "Anytime you have questions about moving forward, call me. I promise it does get easier."

Robert takes it, holding both cards like they are lifelines. "Thank you both. You'll keep me informed?"

JJ nods. "Yes, sir. As soon as we know something I will call you personally."

The two agents leave, wishing there was more they could do for this man and his family. In the SUV, Hotch looks at JJ.

"You did a great job in there, Jayje. You connected with him, you comforted him." She slowly turns and looks at him. "I hope that shows you that despite where you were and what you went through the past 9 weeks you are still a great agent and still an integral part of this team."

She looks away, ashamed. "How did you know I was questioning that?"

Hotch grins. "Please…I'm a profiler. Hopefully Dave is having a similar conversation with Morgan."

JJ just chuckles and shakes her head. "You're mighty smug there, Hotchner. Just hate that you're right and I can't knock the smug smile off your face."

He laughs as they head back to the precinct.

* * *

Across town, Morgan and Rossi pull up at the fourth dump site. The other three had been rather unremarkable. This one had a little more to it. Morgan looks at Rossi.

"The first 5 killed were just dumped near the park. This last victim was dumped right where people would go in to use the ice rink. This is a very popular park. He knew the body would be found and right here there was a big chance he would be seen. Why take that chance?"

Rossi shakes his head. It was bothering him, too. "This victim is different. He's a family man, his only offense was not picking up after his dog. We need to see his autopsy reports. What do you want to bet that his pre-death torture wasn't as bad?"

Morgan shrugs. "But why? Is the depth of the damage based on the perp and their remorse for their offense? Or is it based on whether the perp is a banger or an upstanding citizen?"

Rossi shakes his head. "I don't know. But I think it's safe to say he wanted this man's body found quickly. A sign of remorse from a killer on a mission."

Morgan shakes his head. "It just doesn't make sense. None of these offenses were horribly harmful. And if it's about the park itself, then the last victims offense could be seen as the one that harms the park the most."

"Maybe, maybe not. Gang activity could drive families and community support away. This park rallied from being closed to being a community haven with lots of involvement from volunteers and local businesses."

Morgan looks at Rossi. "The offenses of these 6 were minor harm issues. What if…what if someone did something worse? Vandalism, destruction of property, even if by accident?" Rossi nods, seeing what he's saying. Morgan pulls out his phone. "Baby girl, have you run any recent arrests or tickets given in the park?"

"Sorry, sugar, but I think Hotch is handling that on a local level. If you want me to punch in another search I need a special treat," she teases.

Morgan chuckles. "How about a picture of me working out in the sun wearing nothing but short shorts."

Garcia trills excitedly. "Derek Morgan your search just jumped to the front of my lists of searches. I will be back to you faster than sweat rolled down your sexy body."

Morgan laughs, shaking his head as he hangs up. He had missed the interaction with the crazy but lovable woman. Rossi is studying him. As Morgan puts his phone away he looks at the older man.

"Done profiling me yet?" he asks easily.

Rossi smiles. "Not really profiling. Just…well…we knew, Hotch and I, that it could be hard for you and JJ to just jump back into all this after what happened over there. And if you think I didn't see the doubt in your eyes the first time we stopped you're nuts, kid."

Morgan chuckles. "It's so…different. And I keep…keep wanting to look around for snipers."

Rossi nods. "I get it, kid. Trust me. But I hope you're seeing that what you did and experienced there doesn't have to affect what you do here. You're a damn good agent and profiler, Morgan. Let that shit over there enhance you, not diminish you. And if you need to talk or anything there is no shame in asking. As you always say, I've got your back."

Morgan smiles. "Thanks, Rossi. I appreciate that and…and I learned it's not weak to need help sometimes. I promise to reach out if I start to falter."

Rossi claps him on the shoulder. "And I'll reach back. Come on. Two more stops and then we can get to the precinct to see what the others have found out."

Morgan nods and drives them to the next dump site.

* * *

Mitchell Reese stares at JJ as she and Hotch enter the precinct. He grins. She was still beautiful. Too bad she would eventually have to die. He continues to mop the floor as the agents talk to the tall, skinny agent who was weird beyond words.

When Hotch closes the door to the conference room, Reese turns away to finish this hallway. He scratches at the beard and mustache he had grown before starting his projects in Detroit. He had been upset that it had taken the police so long to call in the FBI. He had been beyond thrilled when tall, creepy and skinny had walked in. That meant the blonde and Agent Prentiss. His penis had hardened at the thought of finally being able to exact revenge on this team, especially the two women.

He puts his mop and bucket away. He grabs the rolling trash bin and starts to collect the trash at each desk. It was always amazing to him what cops left out on their desks. And since there was always a few empty cups, he could rustle a bit on the desk and most people just assumed he was being extra conscientious.

He looks up when he sees the black agent and the old agent enter the precinct. He frowns. Where was Agent Prentiss?

_"Shit…maybe she transferred," _he thinks. Then he grins evilly._ "Or maybe she was killed in the line of duty. That would be fine, too."_

He quickly finishes his trash collection then clocks out for his 15 minute break. Hacking the station wifi with his iPad he runs a search for dead FBI agents. Though several pop up, Agent Prentiss isn't mentioned.

"Damn it," he mutters. "She transferred or quit. Oh well, I'll send her a little gift via FBI headquarters. By the time it routes to her I'll be finished with my projects in Detroit. Only 2 more kills and then the finale."

He puts his iPad away and gets back to his janitorial job. He didn't know why so many people put down janitors. They get to see so much they shouldn't. And, even better, no one ever really notices them. He smiles. Maybe by the time he finishes here Agent Jareau will know him intimately. Maybe.

Or maybe he'll just make sure she knows this was all for her. That's even better…she can know he's out there and have to look over her shoulder the rest of her life.

Whistling a quiet, happy tune, a spring in his step, Reese gets back to work. At lunch that day, he sends a special package overnight to Emily Prentiss.


	6. Chapter 6

When the team gets to the hotel that night, JJ finds her room is adjoining Morgan's. She laughs.

"Didn't I get enough of living with you the last 9 weeks?"

He grins. "Ah, come on…you know you missed me the last few days."

She laughs. "Dream on, big guy. Dream on."

She is not in her room long when he knocks on the door between the rooms. She opens it.

"Yes?" she asks in amusement.

He smiles. "So, Hotch profile you?"

JJ nods. "Yep. Said Rossi was watching you, too." She sighs. "Part of me thinks I should be pissed. But most of me knows I don't blame them and, in all honesty, it feels pretty good that they were that concerned about us."

Morgan nods. "Yeah, I know what you mean. When I realized what was happening I was pretty pissed at first. Then I got it, too." He leans against the door jam. "So how are you doing?"

JJ shrugs. "Okay. It hurts to be away from Henry and Emily this soon but at least I know they're just a quick plane ride away if they need me. That helps a lot." She glances at her watch. "Speaking of which, I need to call Henry before his bedtime. I'll meet you guys downstairs in a bit."

He nods. "Okay. Tell him Uncle Morgan says hi."

She smiles. "I will."

After he leaves, JJ lies down on the bed and calls her house. She frowns when Francesca answers.

"Hi, Francesca. Is Emily still working?"

Francesca laughs. "No. She is giving Alaska a bath. He and Henry found a mud puddle much fun."

JJ laughs. "I can only imagine."

"Si. Henry, would you like to speak to Mommy?"

"NO!"

JJ's heart skips a beat at the angry answer.

Francesca clucks at the little boy. "Henry, come speak with your Mommy. She loves you."

"NO!"

Even through the phone, JJ hears the sound of small feet running away. Tears spring into her eyes. Francesca sighs.

"Cara…he is…he…"

"I heard," JJ says weakly. "Don't really blame him. I just got home and I've left him again. If the situation was reversed I'd be mad, too."

"He loves you, Jennifer. He just doesn't quite understand yet. But he is proud of you and loves you very much. When Emily comes in she will speak with him. He will come around."

"Maybe," JJ whispers. "I, uh, have to meet the team for dinner. I'll…no, just have Emily call me later. Love you."

"Love you, cara."

JJ hangs up, wiping tears from her cheeks. She sends a quick text to Hotch.

_"Going to order room service. Henry is mad at me. Need some time alone."_

She gets a text back a few minutes later.

_"If you need anything, let me know. Jack was upset with me the first time I went away after Hailey died. I understand and I'm here for you."_

She sends him a thank you then curls up on the bed with a pillow, tears still rolling down her cheeks.

* * *

"He what?" Emily asks in shock.

"He ran away from the phone. He wouldn't speak to her. She's hurt, Emily."

Emily nods. "I believe it. Let me talk to him and then we'll call her."

She makes her way to the playroom and finds Henry stacking blocks. She sits down on the window seat.

"Come here, Champ."

Henry gets up and walks over to her. She pulls him up on her lap. He cuddles into her. She sighs. How do you explain to an 18 month old why his Mommy is gone again so soon? She kisses the top of his head.

"Henry, want to help me call Mommy?"

"NO!"

Emily sighs. This was not going to be easy. "Henry, Mommy has gone to get the bad guys but she will be home in a couple of days. She loves you so much."

"NO!"

She eases up and looks into angry blue eyes. She had seen those eyes before and knows they are stubborn eyes as well. She grins and shakes her head.

"You are so much like her, Henry. You are so full of love and so is she. She doesn't like leaving us. But she does it to protect you and all the other kids out there."

"NO!"

Emily leans her head back. Nope…logic is not going to work with a toddler. Reason is not going to work with a toddler. What would work? What could possibly work? Hmmm….bribery? She looks back down at him.

"Henry, if you talk to Mommy you can have a cookie."

His eyes get wide. "Cookie?"

Emily nods. "Yep. But you have to talk to Mommy and tell her you love her."

His little face breaks into a grin. "Cookie!"

Emily laughs. She is sure every parenting book ever written would say she is handling this ALL wrong. But she knows the pain JJ must be in and that is all that matters. She pulls out her cell phone and hits JJ's number.

"Hi, Em," JJ says dejectedly.

Emily holds the phone out to Henry and nods. "MOMMY! Love Mommy!"

JJ's heart nearly explodes with joy. She sits up in bed. "Hey, Little Man! Oh, Henry, I love you, too."

"Ska stinky, Mommy."

JJ laughs. "I heard. Is he all clean now?"

"Yes. Mama clean."

"Good Mama."

He then starts to babble on. She makes out the words book, Sug (which means Sergio), Fwan, and cookie, in addition to Ska and Mama. Obviously he had a very busy day.

"You had a great day, Henry. I'm so happy for you. I miss you, baby. I miss you so much."

"Miss Mommy. Pwoud! Love Mommy!"

JJ just smiles. "Mommy loves you, too, Henry."

"Bye Mommy. Cookie Mama!"

Emily laughs and takes the phone back. "Hey, Jen. You okay?"

"I'm better now that's for sure. God, Em, thank you for being so good with him. I don't know what you said to him but he was definitely not planning to talk to me tonight."

"It was just a tantrum, baby. He had to work through it."

"You're such a good mother, Em. I love you so much."

"I love you, too, Jen. We all do. Let me get him to bed and I'll call you in a little while. Oh, and Jen?"

"Yeah?"

"Order the Comfort Special. You need to eat."

JJ chuckles. "Oh you think you're so smart. Maybe I've already eaten." There is a long pause as Emily says nothing. "Oh, crap. So you're right, are you happy? I'll order it as soon as we hang up."

Emily grins. "Good. And yes, I'm happy. I have you and Henry in my life. What's not to be happy about?"

"Charmer."

"Always."

"Love you, Em. Talk to you soon."

"Love you, too. Bye, baby."

Emily hangs up and looks at Henry, who stands impatiently. She stands and offers him her hand.

"Come on, Champ, let's get you that cookie."

He grins as he takes her hand. "COOKIE!"

Emily just shakes her head in amusement. Okay, maybe it was wrong…but if JJ's happy how wrong could it be?


	7. Chapter 7

At 7:30 a.m. the team is standing at the site of the 7th victim's dump site. The lead detective had already checked and this man's offense against the park had been a charge of lewd behavior. His girlfriend had gotten off with a warning but Lance Forbes had been given a bench appearance for their attempt to "get back to nature" with their love-making.

JJ shakes her head. "This unsub is definitely targeting people hurting the park but none of these acts _really_hurt the park, you know what I mean?"

"But they could be seen as steps that could bring its downfall," Rossi points out. "The actions of individuals, if left unchecked, can lead to a sense of apathy or avoidance. That would start the park into a downhill slide and before you know it there's an office building or two in its place."

Hotch looks at Rossi sharply. "We need to find out if anyone has designs on this patch of land. If they do, they could be on the unsubs hit list."

Morgan nods and calls Garcia, stepping away to speak with her. Reid is looking around.

"This is the first body actually dumped inside the park," he notes. "Why the tennis courts? It seems like this would put a bad memory in people's heads to know a body was found here. That would lead to avoidance and again start a downward spiral."

JJ nods. "Reid's right. This doesn't fit the dumping pattern. What changed for the unsub?"

Hotch looks at each agent in turn. "Us. We got called in. He wants us to know, to understand it's about the park. The media is still concentrating on the gang bangers and the hate crime aspects even though we've told them not to. This victim was a heterosexual man, no criminal history, just having a good time in public with his girlfriend. The media has to listen to us now and, in a sense, listen to the unsub."

JJ rolls her eyes. "Great." She pinches the bridge of her nose. "I…I know how to run with this, Hotch. How about I head to the precinct and get a statement written and arrange a press conference. I'll take questions this time to try to get the media on the same page with us."

Hotch nods. "Good idea. As soon as we're done here we'll meet you back there."

JJ nods and takes one of the SUV's back to the station. Hotch looks at Rossi and Reid as Morgan walks back up.

"This land is majorly protected. Even local companies have invested in it. There is no record of anyone requesting surveys or building restrictions for it. If someone does have their eye on it they are moving very quietly," he tells them.

Hotch sighs. "Then it goes back to the activist angle. Did Garcia have that run finished?"

"Yes. She emailed it to us this morning. She also has a list of anyone ticketed or arrested in this park in the last year."

Hotch grins. "She beat the locals to it. Surprise there," he jokes. He takes a deep breath. "Reid, you and I will head back to start weeding through the information from Garcia. Rossi, Morgan, go talk to the girlfriend of our latest victim. We need to get a handle on this soon or no matter what the media puts out this park is in trouble. It's such a blessing to this city we can't let it fall."

Rossi nods. "Agreed."

The agents split up to get going on their day.

* * *

JJ finishes writing up her statement to the press. The local media spokeswoman had put out that the FBI would be holding a press conference at 9 a.m. As she hits the print command, Garcia pops up on her computer screen.

"Good morning, Agent Jareau," she says happily.

"Hey, Pen. Got your email. Hotch and Reid are on their way so we can start pulling some of the information from it all and hope to get a direction to take."

JJ barely notices when the janitor comes in to empty the trashcan.

"Good. Emily is still trying to connect the victims in some way. They had to have met up with the unsub somewhere. Hopefully she can find that somewhere in all this information."

Mitchell Reese perks up at the mention of "Emily." So she was still with this team. But why wasn't she here? He grabs a scraper out of his pocket and pretends to be carefully prying old gum off the inside of the trashcan so he can eavesdrop a little longer.

"Do you have the information on the latest victim yet?"

"Got it two minutes ago. As soon as I finish my background I'll send it to-"

"Garcia, maybe there is no-oh, shit…" Emily stutters to a stop as she walks into the analyst's office.

Garcia winces as JJ shoots straight up in her chair.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING AT THE OFFICE?" she demands.

Reese jumps at the fury in JJ's voice. He angles a little so he can see the screen. His eyes widen when he sees a VERY pregnant Emily Prentiss. So _that's_ why she isn't here.

Emily steps closer to the camera. "I swear, honey, I'm just here for like 15 minutes. An hour tops. I wanted to get something out of my desk. And I dropped off a couple of files that needed to get out quickly."

JJ pinches the bridge of her nose. A headache was coming on and it wasn't likely to abate anytime soon. She takes a deep breath and looks at her wife.

"Were you going to tell me?" she asks in irritation.

Emily rolls her eyes. "Shit, Jen, yes, I was going to tell you. I just didn't plan to tell you by shocking the hell out of you. I know you don't need the added stress of this sort of shock. I swear, baby. Damn it, Jen, you know I've popped in at least once a week since I went on bed rest. Why are you acting like this is all new to you?"

Honey? Baby? Reese's eyes widen. They were a COUPLE! How deliciously delightful! He slips out of the room but stays close enough to listen to the rest of the conversation.

JJ sighs. "You're right. I'm sorry. I guess after last night my nerves are a bit raw still. I'll let you two get back to what you're doing. And, Emily, I really am sorry."

Emily smiles. "It's okay. Situations reversed I'd probably be a jerk, too."

JJ laughs. "Uh, thanks…I think. I love you, honey."

"Love you, too, Pumpkin Bread!" Garcia says before Emily answers.

The two profilers laugh. Emily covers Garcia's mouth with her hand. "Love you, Jen."

Emily disconnects the weblink before uncovering Garcia's mouth. The woman with the pink and green stripes in her hair grins.

"Sorry, couldn't resist."

Emily shakes her head in amusement. "Next time…resist!" Garcia giggles, making no such promise. "Anyway, what if there is no overlap in all the victims. What if it's just chance that connects them. Do the local papers publish a police beat? The unsub could be getting names and offenses there."

Garcia nods. "Good call, Agent Awesome! I will tickle my ivories until I find an answer."

"Perfect. I'm heading home. If you need me ca-unggghhh…"

Emily grabs her stomach and winces, she takes a couple steps, trying to walk off the pain. At the first sign of problems, Garcia had leapt up. She grabs one of Emily's arms to help her as she walks the pain off. Finally the contraction stops. Garcia glances at her watch. Emily smiles at her.

"Just Braxton Hicks, Pen. I swear."

"Maybe, maybe not. Do I have to remind you that JJ claimed that 15 hours before Henry was born?"

Emily laughs. "No, I remember that very clearly. But I promise you, that's all this is. If I'm wrong, I'll know in the next hour and by then I will be with Francesca and she can get me to the doctor. Okay?"

Garcia stares at her a minute. "Okay. But if it's more than false labor, call me. I'll do a thing and get JJ on whatever flight gets her back here as soon as possible."

Emily gives her a hug. "Thanks, Pen. What would we do without you and your 'things'?"

Garcia winks. "Kevin asks the same question quite often."

Emily blurts out a laugh. "I soooooo didn't need to know that." Emily goes to her desk to get the couple things she needs. She puts the files she had finished at home in Hotch's inbox. As she leaves she stops a moment and just looks over the bullpen, watching as agents on other teams and departments hurry to and fro. She sighs.

"How twisted is it that I miss this place?" she mumbles before getting on the elevator to head for home.

* * *

Louise Kimble wipes the tears from her eyes. "It's…it's all my fault."

Morgan and Rossi exchange a look. "What is your fault?" Rossi asks.

"Lance was supposed to stay with me last night but I got mad. So he went home. If I hadn't been such a bitch he'd be alive!" she insists.

Morgan takes her hand and stares into her eyes. "Ms. Kimble, I know this is hard for you. But I promise you, this is _not_your fault. Your boyfriend was targeted and the unsub would have waited until he was alone to take him. Short of chaining yourself to him there was nothing you could have done to stop this."

Louise stares into his eyes. "Re-really?"

Morgan nods. "Really. Now, can you tell me where he was going when he left here last night?"

"Home as far as I know. Sometimes he stops off at McKinney's Tavern for a beer but it was kind of late last night."

Rossi writes this in his book. "Do you know their address?" She gives it to him. "Does he have any friends he may have called when he left?"

Louise shrugs. "Maybe Vandy…uh, John Vandenburg. His best friend. But it was late so maybe not." She gives Rossi the man's number.

Morgan takes a deep breath. "Ms. Kimble, a couple weeks ago you were caught in Clark Park." The woman blushes. "How did he react to getting a ticket while you were let off?"

Louise smiles. "He insisted. I…I'm a teacher. A ticket like that…well…you know…" Morgan nods. "I paid his ticket. It was the least I could do, especially since it wasn't just his idea." She blushes again. "We, uh, both liked to…you know…where we could get caught."

Rossi nods. "There's nothing wrong with that." Morgan slides a surprised glance at the older agent. Rossi notices but says nothing. "Did you often have intercourse in Clark Park?"

Louise shakes her head. "No. Just one other time. At the tennis courts."

Morgan and Rossi exchange a look. Now they knew why the body had been dumped there. But how did the unsub know…unless…he was made to confess before he died. Rossi's stomach rolls. Could it be religious activist instead of park activist?

Morgan hands Louise his card. "If you think of anything that could help us, anything at all, please don't hesitate to call."

She nods. "Thank you."

Rossi looks at the woman. "Is there anyone we can call to be with you?"

She shakes her head. "My sister's on her way. Just had to drop her kids at school first."

"Good. As soon as we know anything, we'll be in touch. We are so sorry for you loss."

"Thanks, Agents."

Rossi and Morgan leave. They sit a moment in the SUV thinking over what they had heard. Morgan looks at Rossi.

"That other time wouldn't have appeared on the ticket," he notes.

Rossi nods. "Right. They have to confess their sins and then they die anyway."

Morgan shrugs. "Maybe if they confess to the wrong sins the torture is worse?"

"Maybe. Think about this, gangbangers are going to deny, deny, deny. These last two victims would probably break a little sooner and both would have plenty they would think they have to confess to."

Morgan nods. "Right. If Keenan thought it was religious he may have confessed to homosexuality first, assuming that's what it's about. He kept confessing until he finally got it right. Same with Lance Forbes. Sounds like he had plenty of transgressions to confess to."

Rossi stares out the window and shakes his head. "Is it just me or does this whole case just feel…all over the place? How is the unsub finding the victims? What makes them worse than any other?"

Morgan shrugs. "I don't know. But you're right that it seems all over the place. Let's get to the station and see what Garcia dug up for us."

Morgan puts the SUV in gear. As they pull away, Morgan slides his eyes at Rossi.

"Never pegged you for a 'nature lover', old man," he teases.

Rossi laughs. "You never met wife number 2."

Morgan just shakes his head, still laughing at the thought of Rossi getting it on outside.

* * *

Mitchell Reese pulls his phone out of his pocket and hits the only number programmed into it.

"What page, Master?" the voice on the other end answers.

"No page this time. Number 8 will be on the news. She is an FBI agent named Jennifer Jareau. She won't be easy to get alone. I have a plan. Watch and study her. She's going to blow this investigation on purpose so Clark Park gets shut down. When it's time to take her down, I'll call."

"Yes, Master. We'll stop her, Master. We'll save the park."

"Yes, my son, we will."

Reese disconnects. The stupid fool was so easy to manipulate it was almost no fun. But when he confronts the woman who made Clark Park her personal pet project and lets her know the killings were all for her she'll be shocked and appalled. It will be wonderful.

But the best would be to watch as his puppet tortures Jennifer Jareau. Then, before she can be finished off, he'll kill his puppet in front of her before setting the dogs on her. Yes, his main goal would be wonderful.

But killing Jennifer Jareau will be orgasmic.


	8. Chapter 8

Reid stares at the pages from a local crime beat tabloid that comes out each week. Each of the victims had appeared in the quick lists of minor arrests at various times. Surprisingly, they were not killed in chronological order of appearance.

"Why these men? Why at the times they were taken?" Reid asks the pages as if expecting an answer.

He stands and tacks them up on a cork board in order of the men's death. It is there, lined up in a row, that he finally sees the pattern. He is glad he took the time to go down to the offices of the paper to pick up actual copies.

"Guys, I see the pattern. And it's eerily familiar."

The others walk over and stare at it. Rossi gets it first. "Holy shit. Really?"

Reid nods. "Really."

Hotch rolls his eyes in frustration. "Care to share with Morgan, JJ and I?"

Reid turns to the other two. "Their appearance on the page are a Fibonacci sequence. See 1-1-2-3-5-8-13." He points to each name in turn.

"That is highly fucking twisted," JJ states. "The unsub would have to wait for a person to do something in Clark Park, make sure it's part of the sequence, and then take them at the right time? Who the fuck is this guy?"

Hotch slowly shakes his head. "We've been looking for an activist or a religious zealot. He's neither of those things."

Morgan sighs and drops down into a chair. "We have to start over at square one."

"Maybe not," Rossi says. "The activist or zealot angle could be combined with OCD."

JJ nods a little. "True. Someone with obsessive compulsive disorder could be patient enough to wait for the pattern to work. But eventually the numbers will run out. I mean, there are only so many numbers in the sequence that will match the parameters he needs to kill."

Everyone stares at the board, not sure what they have that's correct and what isn't. Finally Hotch walks over to one of the chalkboards in the room. He erases everything on it.

"Okay, from the top as if we're looking at this for the first time. What do we know?"

By 5 p.m. they know they are stumped. And they know they are pissed. Even Emily had gotten frustrated as they had all gone back and forth on the profile of the unsub. Hotch finally puts his foot down.

"We need to stop. We're all angry and frustrated. We need to step back and relax. Prentiss, shut down your computer and play with Henry. The rest of us, dinner at a nice restaurant with talk about ANYTHING but the case. We need to turn it off for tonight."

They hear a sigh through the speakerphone. "I won't argue," Emily says. "I know the answer is in front of us. It will hit one of us tonight."

Rossi nods. "I agree."

"I'll call you when we get back to the hotel, Em," JJ says.

Emily smiles. "Take your time. I'll be here. Love you, Jen. Love you, too, boys."

Reid smiles. "Not what you said to me when we were arguing earlier."

Emily laughs. "I said you were annoying but I never said I didn't love you," she points out.

Hotch grins. "Talk to you tomorrow, Prentiss." He hangs up and the BAU team leaves for the night.

None of them notice the janitor watching them from across the room…


	9. Chapter 9

When Emily gets downstairs, Francesca points to a pile on the foyer table.

"The courier dropped more files and a package off for you, cara."

Emily starts towards it then stops. "Forget it. I'll check it later." She walks to the table and finds Henry nearly finished with dinner. "That looked good, Champ. Did any of it actually make it into your mouth?"

He grins at her, his face covered with spaghetti sauce. Her offers her his hand, which is covered with sauce, one little noodle hanging from it.

"Gee, thanks, Henry, but I'd hate to take it from you. You keep enjoying it," she says and kisses the top of his head.

As she stands she wipes her face. Yep…he had sauce in his hair. She laughs and looks at Francesca. "Think kids get most of their nutrients by osmosis?"

Francesca laughs. "Si, cara. Definitely." She hands Emily a plate of steamed vegetables and baked chicken breast with some sort of sauce on it.

"What's this? It smells wonderful!"

"Just trying something new. All is on the orders from your doctor so it should be good, yes?"

Emily nods. "Should be. If not I'll never tell because it smells great." She sits down and takes a bite, moaning with pleasure. "And it tastes divine! Nope, if it's not on my diet I sure as heck won't tell you."

Francesca chuckles. "I feel it would be good with a chardonnay or even that sweet white from your vineyard."

Emily slowly looks at the woman. "You can be cruel sometimes, Francesca Marconi. It would be wonderful with both of those choices…and I can't try that for several months. Cruel, cruel, cruel."

Francesca giggles. "Scusami, cara," she says, with no remorse at all.*

Emily grins. "Sure you are. So, how are things with you and Headmaster Hill?" she inquires.

Francesca blushes. "Very good, cara. But he is much busy right now with school starting again. He did say Declan has been doing very good with football."

Emily smiles. "Good! I hope things are getting back to normal for Dec now."

The two chat as they finish their dinner. Finally it is bath time for Henry. Emily smiles. "You know, we were just going to do a quick wash for you tonight, Champ. But then you had to go and wear your dinner." He just smiles. She shakes her head, grinning. "You're a little monster sometimes, Champ." She lifts him up and gives him a kiss. "But I love you so I guess I can forgive you."

An hour later she has just gotten him into his pajamas when JJ calls. She holds the phone out for him.

"Want to talk to Mommy, Champ?" He frowns. She holds up a cookie. He grins.

"MOMMY!" he exclaims.

JJ smiles. "Hey, Little Man. You taking care of Mama and Rocky for me."

"Yes! Wok kick!"

JJ laughs. "Yeah, I bet she does. Did you get to play with Ska today?"

"Yes!" He continues to babble and regale her with stories of his day.

JJ just murmurs assents in appropriate places, laughs when he does, and just soaks in everything about him. Finally she sighs. "Well, I love you, Henry. How about you give Mama the phone now, okay? I love you."

"Love Mommy." He looks at Emily. "Cookie?"

She rolls her eyes and trades the cookie for the phone. As he sits on her lap happily eating his cookie, Emily kisses his head.

"Hey, babe. Did you all have a good dinner?"

JJ smiles, leaning back on her bed. "Yeah. We laughed and talked. It was great. I think we all feel better for having done it. How was your dinner?"

"Good, except for Francesca's cruel taunt." She tells JJ about the wine comment. JJ laughs.

"I love her so much," JJ states.

"Gee, thanks. Glad to know you have my back, dear," Emily chuckles. "Well, Jen, Henry has finished his cookie. Let me get him to bed and I'll call you back, okay?"

"Okay. Give him a hug and kiss from me."

"You know I will. Talk to you soon, babe. Love you."

"Love you, too."

Emily hangs up and looks at her son. "You know, you're going to have to start speaking to her without bribery, Champ."

He just grins mischievously. She laughs and shakes her head. "Come on, you little charmer."

She takes him into the bathroom to clean off cookie residue so he can go to bed.

* * *

Back at the hotel, JJ stares at the ceiling. There was a time she would never have believed that Emily being so far away would still be as comforting as if she was right there with her. Maybe it was Afghanistan or maybe it was just their love maturing, but she feels even more centered than she had after the relaxing dinner with the team. She flips on the TV to pass the time until Emily calls back.

An hour later she hears Emily's ringtone and flips off the TV.

"I thought you'd forgotten about me," JJ teases.

"Wait…this isn't my girlfriend. Who are you?" Emily teases back.

JJ chuckles. "Watch it, woman."

Emily grins as she stands in the foyer, flipping through the files the courier had brought to her. "You know I only call her on the phone you don't know about. Ooops!"

JJ laughs fully. "You are soooo not funny. But you are sexy as hell so I guess I'll forgive you."

Emily grins. "Sexy? I'm the size of a whale, I have ankles elephants would envy, and then there are the other strange things my body is doing. How the hell is any of that sexy?" She notices the package that had arrived is marked "Personal and Private."

"It's sexy because-shit, the room phone's ringing. Hold on."

"Okay."

Emily studies the FedEx package and sees its return address is Detroit. She frowns, trying to remember anything she had assisted on in Detroit. Often they are sent gifts of thanks from local precincts and sometimes even family members. She figures it must be from a family member because she knows she hasn't done anything with Detroit in a long time.

In the hotel, JJ grabs the phone. "Jareau."

"Agent Jareau, this is the front desk. I'm afraid someone hit your SUV. Can you come down?"

JJ sighs. "Yeah, give me five minutes." She hangs up and shakes her head. "Figures." She lifts her personal phone. "Em? Someone hit my SUV. I need to go deal with it. I'll call you when I get back up here."

"Okay," Emily says. "Love you."

"Love you, too."

As JJ goes downstairs, Emily lifts up everything and makes her way up to the bedroom. She sets things down in the private office and goes into the bathroom. A few minutes later she heads into the office and pulls the quick open strip on the package. She pours all the papers out onto her desk, staring at them in confusion. It was all news clippings about the murders that the team was investigating.

"What the hell?" she mutters.

She flips through them all then looks in the box. Her frown deepens as she sees an envelope taped to the inside of the box. She pulls it off and opens it. As she reads she feels her blood pressure start to spike.

"_Dear Agent Prentiss,_

_I am so sorry you missed this trip with your team. I assume you have either transferred or quit. I hope it's not the latter as I really want to see you again some day._

_But I was quite excited to see Jennifer Jareau is still with the team. Just so you know, she'll be the last death in this city. I'll even save her for after my true target. She'll get to see me kill my weapon. It will make Detroit my favorite city ever._

_By the time this gets routed to you, she'll have already been dead and buried. Maybe I'll be there to watch you all say your goodbyes to her._

_I can't wait to see you. _

_Sincerely,  
The Greatest Killer You Will **NEVER** Know"_

Emily drops the letter and grabs her cell phone. She redials JJ but it goes straight to voice mail.

"No, no, no, no," she mutters as she hits Hotch's number.

"Hotchn-"

"JJ'S IN TROUBLE! IT'S THE GUY WHO KILLED SONIA RICKEY! SHE'S IN THE PARKING LOT!"

Hotch doesn't even question her, he races out of his room, yelling for the others as he goes.

* * *

*** I'm sorry, darling.**


	10. Chapter 10

As JJ walks out to the SUV she sees a man leaning against the back of it. "Well, at least he didn't hit and run," she mutters.

When she gets close, she calls out to him. "Hi, I'm Agent Jareau. That's my-"

He turns and smiles at her. Her blood goes cold as she sees a now clean-shaven Mitchell Reese standing there.

"I know who you are. And I can see you remember me," he taunts.

Most people would have been so totally focused on a man who had tried to kidnap them that they are sitting ducks. But her experience in Afghanistan has JJ's personal radar tuned higher than normal. She senses the person behind her and dives as a bat is nearly brought down on her head. She is alone, unarmed, and facing off with 2 men. She rolls to her feet and runs, dodging between cars, circling to get back to the doors of the hotel.

"GET HER!" Reese screams at his puppet.

The men split up to try to trap her.

JJ pulls out her cell phone. She hits Morgan's speed dial. He answers after the second ring, humor in his voice.

"What? Miss me already, Jayje?"

"HELP! PARKING LOT! HURRY!"

Morgan drops his phone and grabs his gun just as he hears Hotch yelling for the team from the hallway.

In the parking lot, JJ had made a turn she thinks will get her to the entrance. Suddenly the man with the bat is in front of her. She skids to a halt. She turns back but sees Reese behind her. With no other choice, she steps onto the bumper of the car beside her and runs up and over the car, trying to put distance between herself and them again.

_"Shit, shit, shit, getting farther from the door," _she thinks to herself.

She knows she has to do something to get back to safety. The farther she is from the door the longer it will take for the team to find her. It seems like forever before she hears Hotch's voice.

"JJ!"

"HOTCH!" she screams.

The four FBI agents take off towards her voice. Reese spins around. "Fuck," he mumbles. He looks at the still running JJ and sneers. "Next time."

Leaving his puppet to take the fall, he fades off into the darkness.

JJ comes around the end of a van and barely manages to drop to the ground as the killer swings his bat at her head. She scrambles away from him as he raises it over his head once more.

"FREEZE! FBI! DROP THE BAT!" Hotch yells.

The killer looks up in surprise. He sees the four agents, guns trained on him. "I have to stop her. She's going to hurt the park," he explains.

Rossi takes a step closer, holstering his gun. Hotch had explained as they ran down 5 flights of stairs what was going on. "No, she's trying to save it. She wants to make it safe for everyone."

The man shakes his head. "No…No! Master said she was going to blow the investigation. We can't make the park good again if she does that."

He lifts the bat higher. JJ backs up more but ends up against the front end of a sports car. She cusses as she realizes she can't even roll under it to get away from a madman acting like Sammy Sosa. Rossi sees this and steps so that the man will have to turn a little away from JJ to keep the conversation going.

"Your master was wrong. See, we already stopped the one that was going to-"

No more words are needed as a hole suddenly appears in the middle of the man's chest. As he crumbles to the ground, the agents spin around, trying to see where the shot came from. The gun that fired it had obviously been silenced.

"Anything?" Hotch asks.

Morgan, Reid and Rossi can only shake their heads. Once again the puppet master has gotten away. Rossi steps over and offers a hand to JJ.

"You okay?"

She takes it and lets him pull her up. She nods, still a bit out of breath. "Yeah. It was the guy that-"

"I know. The one that got away in Lancaster."

"How did you know?" she asks in amazement.

"He sent an overnight package to Emily yesterday. She called after she opened it."

JJ's heart skips a beat. "To…to Emily? AT HOME?"

Hotch shakes his head. "I don't know. She called, said you were in trouble. I just listened and ran. We'll call her when we get inside. What the hell were you doing out here anyway?"

JJ sneers. "I got a call from the front desk that someone hit my SUV. I came down to do the insurance swap shit and snap a couple pics of the damage."

Morgan shakes his head. "That was twice that bastard has targeted you, Jayje. We need to find him."

"Yeah, no shit." She pulls out her phone and calls her wife. "Em, I'm okay."

"Fuck, Jen…thank, God."

"Em, did he send that fucking package to our house?" she demands.

"No. It came with the courier. Shit, Jen, it had to have arrived just after I left the office today. Why the hell didn't I look at it sooner?" Emily is beating herself up. She paces the bedroom.

JJ sighs. "Em, this isn't your fault. Don't even start that."

"It's been here for hours, Jen. Hours," she whispers.

"Emily, stop. I'm okay. The killer is dead."

"And the puppet master?"

JJ leans against the car she had sheltered against. "We'll get him, Em. We will."

"Maybe."

"Em, how's your blood pressure?"

"Not good," she admits.

"Call Garcia."

"I will. Promise."

"I love you, Emily."

"I love you, too, Jennifer."

Emily hangs up and calls Garcia. "Hey, Emster, I'm just leaving the office. I think this last search will-"

"It's over. The case. Jen told me to call. BP is bad. I'll explain more when you get here."

"On my way," Garcia says, not even questioning the call.

Emily hangs up and, on shaky legs, makes her way to the recliner. That's where Garcia finds her just 15 minutes later. She had made record time to the Prentiss house.

* * *

JJ refuses to go back to her room. She sends Reid up to fetch her gun but insists on staying in the parking lot while the police investigate. She does concede to putting on her Kevlar vest though she figures the puppet master's aim has proven to be good enough to use a headshot to take her out if he wanted.

But it's too impersonal. She knows he wants to kill her when he can look into her eyes. She suddenly stands up straight.

"Oh, shit…someone else is going to die tonight, Hotch."

Hotch looks at her. "I know."

JJ turns and kicks the tire of the SUV she had been leaning against. Whoever his true target was would die tonight and there was nothing they can do to stop it because they still don't know who his kills were meant to hurt.

* * *

In Virginia, Garcia had taken Emily's blood pressure and it was beyond the red zone. She strokes a hand over Emily's head.

"We need to go to the hospital, honey. This is really, really bad."

Emily nods. "She…she made it back here and I still nearly lost her, Pen. She was…he was going…he…"

"Stop, Princess. He didn't get her. You and the team saved her. And she saved herself. Everything is okay."

"No, Pen, it's not. He's still out there. He's still…he's still out there."

"Okay, he is. But, Emily, you need to let it go for now. For Rocky."

Francesca pops her head into the room. "Emily?"

"Thanks for coming back down, Francesca. It's bad. I need to get her to the hospital," Garcia explains.

"Okay. I'll help you get her downstairs." She looks at Emily. "And I will stay with Henry. All is okay, cara. All is okay."

Emily just nods, suddenly feeling too weak to argue. The other two women help her up. She sways a bit. They steady her and get her down to Garcia's car. On the way, the analyst calls Dr. Manton who promises to meet them at the ER. Emily knows she will probably be staying overnight. She looks at her friend.

"Tell Jen I'm okay."

"I'll tell her the truth, Emily. Don't ask me to lie for you."

Emily sighs, knowing she'd be pissed if JJ had Garcia lie. "Right. Sorry."

Garcia just nods, hating how weak Emily's voice is sounding.


	11. Chapter 11

At first light, JJ climbs into an SUV with Hotch. He looks at her.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I have to see this through."

He nods and drives to an address in Novi, Michigan. It is an older house on 5 acres with a small storage shed out back. As they pull in behind 2 police cars, the detective's car, and the animal control officer's van they hear the dogs barking. Hotch sees JJ shudder as she opens the door and gets out. He follows her.

"Jayje, you don't-"

"Hotch. Drop it."

He just sighs. They see the 2 animal control officers using two grab poles to force a furious retriever mix of some sort towards one of the cages in their van. There is no doubt the dog would tear apart anyone if it could. It takes nearly 10 minutes but they finally get it locked away.

"One down, one to go," a police officer mumbles.

She stares at the dog that had been used as a weapon. Does it scare her or not? She realizes she just feels pity for it. Screaming from the storage building breaks her out of her trance.

"IT'S LOOSE!"

She turns as a shepherd mix leaps out of the building, snarling and snapping. It races towards her and Hotch. Hotch pulls his gun but JJ just lifts a hand and says forcefully.

"STOP! SIT!"

The dog skids to a halt and does as commanded. Hotch and the police officers keep their guns trained on the dog as JJ steps towards it. She looks at one of the dog handlers.

"Give me a leash."

He tosses one to her. She latches it to the dog's collar and leads the now obedient canine to the catcher's van.

"UP!" she commands.

It jumps up into the cage. She unlatches his leash and stares at him a minute. She slowly brings her hand up and strokes his head.

"He's murdered you, too," she whispers. "I'm sorry, boy."

She steps back, closes the cage and tosses the leash to the catcher. She doesn't say another word as she walks over and climbs into the SUV. When Hotch joins her he sees she is crying. He goes to say something but realizes there is nothing to be said.

He drives them back to the precinct so they can finish their paperwork and go home.

* * *

Morgan drops the message on the table. "Fuck."

Rossi looks at him. "What?"

"Anonymous tip came in about 3 a.m. A lady that organizes a lot of the volunteers for the park was strangled to death. Her body was left on the baseball field."

Rossi and Reid exchange a look. She was the target the whole time and they had never known. Rossi shakes his head.

"This case was off from the start. He pretty much had us screwed from the beginning."

Reid looks at him. "Does that make it any easier to accept?"

Rossi shakes his head. "Fuck no."

When JJ and Hotch show up an hour later the whole team is subdued. Morgan looks at JJ.

"How's Emily?"

"Stayed the night in the ER. Pen is going to call me when she gets released," she says emotionlessly.

Morgan looks at Hotch, who subtly shakes his head. They know it means to just leave her alone for now.

After a brief goodbye to the detective they had been working with, the team makes their way to the airport. Just like last time they had faced this man, they know they stopped the killer but there is no sense of a job well done since the puppet master was still at large.

* * *

From a diner across the street, Mitchell Reese watches the team leave. He can see they are all dejected. He smiles. It thrills him that he has now twice defeated this team.

"We'll meet again, Agent Jareau. You, me, and your girlfriend Agent Prentiss. I wonder where that will be," he whispers.

He reaches into the bag beside him and pulls out an atlas. He lets it drop open to a random page. He smiles.

"Arizona. Good. Means I'll spend the winter in a warm state." He looks back out the window as the second SUV leaves the parking lot. "See you all in a few months," he promises.

He leaves a nice tip on the table and, whistling a happy tune, heads out to start his drive south.

* * *

On the plane ride home, JJ sits in the very back, making it clear she wants to be left alone. It doesn't escape anyone's notice that Garcia never calls.

Once the plane lands JJ takes her time gathering her things. A pointed look at Hotch makes him linger, too. Finally they are the only two left. She makes her way to the front of the plane, tears welling in but not falling from her eyes.

"I…I need some time, Hotch. I thought…I thought if I just got back to work I'd be okay. You know what they say, fall off a horse get back on, right?" He nods. "Doesn't really work that way though, does it?"

"Not usually," he admits.

She drops down into a seat. "I need time to get my head squared with what I saw over there. Add in my worry over Emily's blood pressure issues and the fact that Henry has to be bribed to speak to me tells me I have things to settle at home before I can worry about work." She looks up at him. "I'm sorry. If…if you need to hire someone else to-"

"Stop. Right now." He sits down across from her. "We all need an extended break at some point, JJ. How about you take a week comp time next week. Goodness knows you racked up enough this year," he says with a grin, glad to get a small smile in return. "Then call me or come in that next Monday. If you need more time, take it. If you want to wait until after Rocky's birth, do it. If you want to work half days, that's fine." He reaches over and takes her hand. "I will work with you on this, JJ, because I want you to be okay. And…and if leaving our unit is what's right for you, I'll support that. God knows I don't want to lose you for any reason but if that's what you need then do it."

JJ wipes a tear that finally escapes. "How…how did you know I was considering leaving the unit?"

He smiles and squeezes her hand. "We all have, JJ. How can we do what we do, see what we see and not consider at some point packing it all in? Do you know how many times I changed the date on my resignation after Hailey died?"

She frowns. "I guess I…never thought about it. I just always expected you back."

He smiles. "Thank you. Go home, JJ. Email me your report next week sometime."

"Thanks, Hotch."

"And if you need anything at all, you know where we are."

She nods. "I know." She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "I'll be back, Hotch. I don't know when, but I will be."

Hotch nods. "I believe you will."

They stand and he gives her a big hug. He watches as she leaves the plane, gets in her car and

drives away.

"Come back soon, JJ. Please," he says to her taillights.

* * *

**A/N: Oh come on...Mitchell Reese is too much fun to write to give up so soon! :o)**


	12. Chapter 12

Emily feels a hand stroke down her cheek. Her eyes flutter open. She knows that touch.

"Jen," she whispers weakly.

JJ leans down and gives her a gentle kiss. "What the hell am I going to do with you, Emily Prentiss?"

Emily manages a small smile. "Never let me go?"

JJ nods, tears in her eyes. "Oh, yeah. Definitely."

She can't stop the sob that escapes. Emily lifts up her arm. "Come here."

JJ drops the rail on the side of the hospital bed and crawls in beside her wife. She cries as Emily just holds her closely, murmuring words of comfort. JJ finally gets control of herself.

"I…I should be telling _you _everything will be okay," she says.

Emily kisses her temple. "I'm okay, baby. You look like I did before my leave of absence."

JJ nods. "I bet I do." She lifts her head. "I'm taking at least a week off. Maybe more. I'm broken inside. And this case has completely fucked with my head. Add in the fact that you have to bribe Henry to speak to me," Emily blushes, "and it means I need to worry about me and my family a little while."

"How…how did you know about Henry?"

JJ smiles. "Lucky guess. Both nights when he said goodbye he immediately demanded a cookie."

"Oh. Sorry, baby. He's just confused."

"I know. And that's why I'm taking this time. God knows we rack up enough comp time and vacation time. Hotch said my desk is there whenever I want to go back. Right now you and Henry and Rocky need me. And I need you three."

Emily pulls her close. "I love you, Jen. Whatever you need, whenever you need it, that's my vow to you."

JJ gives her a small kiss. "I know, baby. I know."

They are still lying there an hour later when Dr. Manton walks in. She smiles at them.

"I should have known her blood pressure finally going down coincided with your arrival, Jennifer." JJ smiles. "Emily, Jennifer, this was a pretty bad scare. Honestly, I thought we would be taking Rocky today."

Emily shivers. "Oh, God…" She looks at JJ. "I'm so sorry, Jen."

JJ shakes her head. "Not your fault, sweetheart." She looks back to the doctor. "What do we do, Dr. Manton?"

Kendle leans against the wall. "I truly don't know."

"Does it help if I tell you I'm taking a leave of absence?"

Kendle smiles and stands back up. "Yes, actually, it does. Emily, if I tell you no more work until after Rocky is born could you do it?"

Emily's mind flashes to the package she had received. Her heart and bp monitors both spike enough to set off their alarms. JJ and Kendle stare at the machines until they settle back down.

Emily nods, pulling JJ closer. "Yeah…I think I can."

Kendle breathes out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. And with JJ around to keep you in line I am ordering you onto strict bed rest."

"Uh, can she go with me up to see my parents next week?" JJ asks.

Kendle nods. "Yes. But same rules as if she's at home. High spike, get her to an ER."

JJ nods. "We will. Promise."

"And if you have any questions or problems, call me. Any time of day." She pats Emily on the leg. "We're going to bring Rocky happy and healthy into this world, right, Emily?"

Emily smiles. "Right, Doc."

"Good. I'll get your paperwork started. You can go once the IV is done."

"Thank you, Dr. Manton. We really appreciate it," JJ says.

"Have a good day, ladies."

As the doctor leaves, JJ stands up. She brushes a lock of hair off of Emily's head. "Thank you."

Emily frowns. "For what?"

"You tried to call me to warn me. And you called Hotch. And then you called Garcia. And then you actually listened to the doctor. Thank you for everything, baby. But mostly, thank you for loving me and centering me the way you do. I love you so much."

She leans down and gives her wife a deep kiss. Both women chuckle when the heart monitor alarm sounds again.

"You kiss me like that again and Doc won't let me go," Emily warns her wife.

JJ smiles. "Sorry. Sort of."

She leans down, her head against her wife's. They both sigh, content to be close and as safe as they can be with a psychotic killer still at large.


End file.
